BURNET — The Burnet High School baseball team has spent the past several days preparing for a rematch against Wimberley. But this time, the stakes are higher.

The Bulldogs (13-9 overall, 5-4 District 25-4A) face the Texans (16-6, 10-2) in a best-of-three bi-district series that begins 7 p.m. May 8 at Bulldog Diamonds, 1000 The Green Mile. Go to KBEYFM.com to listen to the contest.

The series moves to Wimberley High School, 100 Carney Lane, for the second game at 10:30 a.m. May 9. If needed, Game 3 will be played 30 minutes after the conclusion of the second contest.

The two teams split games early in the season. Wimberley won the first one 3-2, while Burnet was victorious 8-2 during a Spring Break contest.

Burnet head coach Todd Doucet said baseball fans will enjoy this series because both teams will field talented players, and coaches share some of the same philosophies.

“These are two teams that are very similar,” Doucet said. “Neither team makes a lot of mistakes, and both pitch well.”

Doucet emphasizes making routine plays on both sides of the ball, adding that the Bulldogs have a 93 percent average on making routine defensive plays. On the flip side, his teams are known for capitalizing on opportunities on the offensive end.

“Our goal is to get ahead of people and put pressure on them,” he said. “We have done a great job this year of doing that.”

And yet, he said, the Texans do the same things.

Wimberley is averaging six runs a game and rarely makes defensive mistakes, the Bulldogs coach said.

“They’re really swinging the bats well,” he said. “They’re always going to play great defense. They don’t really beat themselves.”

With so many similarities, who has the advantage?

“The series is going to come down to who can continue to make plays under pressure,” Doucet said. “If someone makes a mistake, if they open that door, we’re going to take it. This series will come down to who makes the fewest mistakes.”

Doubt said the pitching staff, led by senior Taylor Barksdale, who has 82 strikeouts this season, is ready though he declined to name a starter for each contest.

To avoid what would have been a 10-day layoff, the Bulldogs played China Springs in Waco on May 2 and won 5-4.

“We treated it as a glorified practice,” Doucet said. “We wanted our kids to pitch and swing at live pitching and wanted them to stay sharp.”